Web Series about WV Artists Goes Statewide

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, August 24, 2015—A crowd-funding effort on IndieGogo to take the award winning web series, ArtVoiceWV, statewide has surpassed the 80% mark, with 32 days remaining in the campaign.

Launched nearly three years ago, ArtVoiceWV has profiled 22 artists in the Eastern Panhandle. The documentary series explores what sparks the creative drive of artists. “This project is a labor of love,” says producer Jack Kelly. “Our mission is to support West Virginia artists and promote the vibrant artisan economy by providing free promotional and educational videos to the artists.”

Kelly and his co-producer, Marla Carr, decided to take the series statewide. But that meant finding a way to cover the travel expenses for nine new episodes. “West Virginia is a travel intensive state,” said Carr. “So we launched an IndieGogo Campaign to raise the money to cover these expenses and we are very excited by the response.” IndieGogo is one of the most popular crowd fundraising sites in the country.

The online fundraising effort has netted $4,165 toward its goal of $5,400 from 16 funders. The contributions come from individuals who live in and outside of West Virginia. Some of those contributing are artists who have been featured in the series.

Mr. Kelly, who worked for public Broadcasting for 30 years, believes that this broad support underscores the value of the series. He also points out that the series has received three international Telly Awards for excellence in the online documentary category. “While we’ve had a great start, we still need to make our goal. Art is the passion for the artists we feature. ArtVoiceWV is our passion. We hope to attract people who share these two passions and want ArtVoiceWV to succeed.”

The ArtVoiceWV project is a production of 78Degrees West, Inc, a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.